One of the most important ways for businesses to get ahead on Twitter is by
helping others who have a problem, according to a new list of tactics.

The list, which compiles the top 20 Twitter tactics used by businesses and brands in the UK, also advises those running an account for a company to “be authentic”. This is in spite of the fact that most businesses with Twitter account treat each tweet as if it is an advert for the company.

Collated by Add People, a digital marketing company, the tips come from examining the habits of the 3,000 best business tweeters.

As increasing numbers of people join Twitter on behalf of their company or set up business accounts, there is lots of confusion about the best way to use the site and attract new followers.

“We’ve looked at more than 3,000 UK businesses and have published the top twenty tactics that business owners and marketers are using in 2012,” said Grant Barton, managing director of Add People.

“A social media plan is essential for any business looking to develop an online presence. As the design and layout of Twitter changes, so does the way in which users interact within the site.

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“Twitter users are becoming much more involved with brands through the use of hash tags and trending which means businesses need to be prepared to engage with their customers effectively and efficiently.”

It is also crucial to avoid social media mistakes.

In a high profile social media gaffe, the furniture shop Habitat was forced to apologiseafter it used the Iran election to help publicise money-saving discounts at its store in 2009. The young person in charge of the company's Twitter feed added keywords, known as hashtags, to their tweets, to ensure Habitat's messages appeared on Twitter's list of trending topics.

The timing of the stunt was unfortunate because at the same time, Twitter was being used by protestors in Iran to organise rallies against the disputed election results, and to inform people in the West about how they had been treated. The appearance of offers for discounted bookcases and coffee tables among messages about police brutality and pleas for help did not go down well with the Twitterati. “Just read about your hashtag abuses,” wrote one Twitter user. “You utter scumbags, I’ll never visit your shop again”. Habitat apologised, and said the "hashtag spam" was an error, but it remains a classic cautionary tale for companies that think engaging with the online community is as easy as setting up a Twitter account.

Here are the top 20 Twitter tips for businesses:

1. Help others with problems by using the hashtag for your industry term.